THE  GREAT 


RAILROAD  EODTE  TO  THE  PACIFIC 


AND  ITS 


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SHOWING  THE  RELATION  OF  THE 


ALABAMA  AND  CIIATTANOOGA  RAILROAD 

TO  THE  PROPOSED  — 1  J 


Southern  Line  to  the  Pacific. 


BOSTON : 

ALFRED  MUDGE  &  SON,  PRINTERS,  34  SCHOOL  STREET. 

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THE 

(MEAT  KAIL  KOAI)  ROUTES 

TO  THE  PACIFIC, 

AND  THEIR  CONNECTIONS. 

Showing  the  relation  of  the  Alabama  amt  Chattanooga 
Railroad  to  the  proposed  .Southern  Route  to  the  Pacific.  : 

1870. 


Table  showing  the  lengths,  sums  of  ascents  and  descents,  equated  lengths,  cost,  etc.,  of  the  several  routes  explored  for  a  railroad  from  the 


Tunnel  at  elevation 

of  9,540  feet. 

Tunnel  at  elevation 

of  4,179  feet. 

•85no.i  aqi  no  jutod  jsaqffrq 
aqj  jo  bos  aqj  aAoqu  apiiiijjy 

Feet. 

8,373 

10,032 

10,032 

7,550 

7,550 

6.717 

5.717 

5,717 

Number  of  miles  at  -an  elevation  above  tbe 
sea  between  — 

*!jaaj  000*01  PUB  000*6 

.  §  N . 

000*6  PUE  000*8 

20 

80 

80 

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270 

60 

110 

222 

222 

•jaaj  000*9  pin?  000*9 

285 

170 

264 

295 

295 

50 

50 

50 

000*9  pub  ooo‘t 

590 

466 

725 

181 

185 

271 

271 

271 

•!199J  000*fr  P™3  000*8 

160 

348 

143 

236 

210 

342 

342 

362 

WV>*J  000*8  pa®  000*Z 

210 

165 

! 

190 

261 

236 

120 

120 

125 

’139J  000*&  pan  000*1 

170 

276 

308 

290 

292 

347 

337 

305 

*t99J  000*1  put?  0 

220 

340 

275 

585 

354 

893 

478 

420 

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1,400 

1,460 

1,620 

1,450 

1,400 

1,190 

1,190 

1,159 

•puEi  9[qEJE 

qSnoaq;  ajmu  jo  sapra  jo  ’O^j  l 

632 

620 

670 

646 

420 

834 

478 

374 

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$116,095,000 

Impracticable 

Impracticable 

106,000,000 

92,000,000 

f 90, 000, 000 

68,000,000 

|68,000,000 

•asuadxa  SaiqjoAv 
pmba  jo  ojnoa  pA0[  jo  qiSaaq 

Miles. 

2,583 

3,026 

3,360 

3,015 

2,745 

2,747 

2,169 

2,167 

•sjuoosop  pun  siuaosE  jo  suing 

Feet. 

29,120 

49,985 

56,514 

48,521 

48,862 

38,200 

30,181 

33,454 

•ainoj 

pEoqiEj  pasodoad  ifq  aouBisiQ 

Miles. 

2,032 

2,080 

2,290 

2,096 

1,820 

2,024 

1,598 

1,533 

•auq  am  ^q  aouEisiQ 

— 

Miles. 

1,410 

1,740 

1,740 

1,550 

1,360 

1,630 

1,400 

1,360 

Route  near  forty-first  and  forty  second  paral¬ 
lels,  from  Council  Bluffs,  via  South  Pass, 

to  Benicia . 

*  Route  near  thirty-eighth  and  thirty-ninth 
parallels,  from  Westport,  via  Coo-chee-to- 
pa  and  Tah-ee-chay-pah  Passes,  to  San 

Francisco  . 

Route  near  thirty-eighth  and  thirty-ninth  par¬ 
allels,  from  Westport,  via  Coo-che*to-pa 

and  Madelin  Passes,  to  Benicia . 

Route  near  thirty-fifth  parallel,  from  Fort 

Smith  to  San  Francisco . 

Route  near  thirty-fifth  parallel,  from  Fort 

Smith  to  San  Pedro . 

Route  near  thirty-second  parallel,  from  Fulton 

to  San  Francisco,  by  coast  route . 

Route  near  thirty-second  parallel,  from  Fulton 

to  San  Pedro . 

Route  near  thirty-second  parallel,  from  Fulton 
to  San  Diego . 

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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/greatrailroadrouOOalab 


PROSPECTUS. 


The  Alabama  and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  extending  from 
Chattanooga ,  Tennessee ,  to  Meridian ,  in  the  State  of  Mississippi, 
passing  through  the  States  of  Tennessee,  Georgia,  Alabama  and 
Mississippi,  is  the  shortest  and  most  desirable  route  from  the 
northeast  to  the  southwest  portions  of  the  Union,  and  to  the  Pa¬ 
cific  Ocean ,  via  the  Vicksburg  and  Meridian  Railroad  to  Vicks¬ 
burg,  Mississippi  and  Marshall ,  Texas,  and  thence  on  the  thirty- 
second  parallel  to  San  Diego,  California,  on  the  Pacific  shore. 
It  is  proposed  to  state  some  facts  showing  the  progress  of  the 
company  in  building  this  important  link,  in  the  great  chain 
which  is  to  unite  the  Southern  States  with  California. 

m 

CHARTERS. 

The  Alabama  and  Chattanooga  Railroad  Company  have 
the  most  liberal  charters  granted  by  the  several  States  through 
which  it  passes,  for  a  road  from  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  to  Merid¬ 
ian,  Miss .  They  have  also  asked  the  States  of  Mississippi  and 
Louisiana  to  give  them  similar  rights  to  enable  them  to  con¬ 
struct  their  road  from  or  near  Meridian  to  New  Orleans,  which 
will  undoubtedly  be  granted.  They  also  have  the  power  to 
purchase,  or  to  consolidate  with  any  other  connecting  roads,  as 
they  may  deem  expedient. 

LENGTH  OF  ROAD. 

The  distance  from  Chattanooga  to  Meridian  is  about  three 
hundred  miles,  and  from  Meridian  to  New  Orleans  about  two 
hundred  miles,  —  in  all  about  five  hundred  miles. 


6 


GRADES  AND  CURVATURES. 

The  grades  and  curvatures  are  very  easy ;  so  much  so,  that 
the  fastest  time  can  be  made  with  as  much  safety  as  on  any  road 
in  the  country.  The  average  grade  is  about  twenty-eight  feet 
to  the  mile;  maximum  grade,  fifty-two  feet.  The  minimum 
curve  is  three  degrees. 

AMOUNT  OF  ROAD  IN  OPERATION. 

The  line  between  Chattanooga  and  Meridian  is  now  com¬ 
pleted,  fully  equipped,  and  in  operation  for  about  one-half  its 
length.  Pronounced  by  experts  to  be  a  first  class  road  in  all 
respects. 

TIME  OF  COMPLETION  OF  THE  ENTIRE  ROAD. 

The  Company  propose  to  complete  the  line  between  Chatta¬ 
nooga  and  Meridian  the  present  year ;  and  that  from  Meridian 
to  New  Orleans  by  July,  1871. 

DONATION  OF  LANDS. 

This  Company  has  received  a  grant  from  the  general  govern¬ 
ment,  by  act  of  Forty-first  Congress,  April  10,  1869,  of  six 
alternate  sections  per  mile  of  land  lying  along  and  connecting 
with  the  line  of  the  road,  and  located  in  the  State  of  Alabama. 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  SAID  LANDS. 

About  seventy-five  per  cent  of  these  granted  lands  are  mineral 
in  character  and  abound  prolifically  in  red  and  brown  hematite 
iron  ores,  bituminous  coal,  etc.  These  coal  and  iron  mines  are 
unsurpassed  in  quality  and  inexhaustible  in  quantity.  The 
balance  of  the  lands  are  arable  and  of  the  best  quality,  and  on 
these,  as  far  as  the  road  penetrates  the  country,  emigrants  are 
settling  rapidly.  The  mineral  lands  have  not  heretofore  been 
developed,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  making  the  ores  available 


7 


for  useful  purposes  for  want  of  the  proper  means  of  transporta¬ 
tion,  the  absence  of  railways  and  water  communication.  The 
completion  of  this  road  will  make  the  greater  portion  of  these 
lands  exceedingly  easy  of  access,  and  will  invite  thither  capital¬ 
ists  to  operate  them  and  to  develop  their  resources  into  pro¬ 
ducts  and  material  for  railway  and  other  purposes. 

CONNECTING  LINES. 

This  company,  has  very  valuable  connections,  as  follows :  At 
Chattanooga ,  Tenn.y  with  the  East  Tennessee  and  Georgia 
Line,  leading  to  Washington  and  the  northeast ;  with  the  Nash¬ 
ville  and  Chattanooga  Line  to  Nashville  and  the  north ;  with 
the  Western  and  Atlantic,'  to  Atlanta ,  Ga.,  and  the  south.  At 
its  southern  end,  at  Meridian ,  with  the  Vicksburg  and  Meridian 
to  Vicksburg ,  and  thence  by  the  North  Louisiana  and  Texas 
Railroad,  formerly  known  as  the  Vicksburg,  Shreveport  and 
Texas  Railroad,  to  Marshall ,  Texas ,  near  the  thirty-second  par¬ 
allel.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  best  route  through  to  the  Pacific  coast. 
The  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad  connects  at  Meridian  to  Mobile 
south,  and  north  to  Cairo ,  etc.  The  New  Orleans,  Jackson  and 
Great  Northern  Railroad  at  Jackson ,  on  the  Vicksburg  and 
Meridian  Line,  gives  communication  with  New  Orleans  before 
the  completion  of  the  Alabama  and  Chattanooga  Railroad 
Line  from  Meridian  to  New  Orleans.  The  South  and  North 
Railroad,  to  be  in  operation  the  present  year  from  Montgomery 
to  Elyton ,  intersecting  at  about  the  centre  of  the  Alabama  and 
Chattanooga  Railroad,  between  Chattanooga  and  Meridian. 
Also,  a  line,  now  in  process  of  construction,  called  the  Eufala, 
Opelika,  Oxford  and  Guntersville  Railroad,  will  strike  the 
road  at  Gadsden,  eighty-seven  miles  southwest  from  Chattanooga. 
It  will  readily  be  seen  that  all  the  above  lines  are  valuable  trib- 
uataries  to  the  Alabama  and  Chattanooga  line,  passing,  as  they 
do,  through  the  most  fertile  part  of  the  Southern  States,  pro¬ 
ducing  the  most  abundant  crops  of  the  various  cereals,  cotton, 
tobacco,  etc. 


8 


The  Cincinnati  Southern  Line,  projected  from  Cincinnati 
to  Chattanooga ,  and  in  aid  of  which  the  citizens  of  Cincinnati 
have  almost  unanimously  voted  the  munificent  sum  of  Ten  Mil¬ 
lions  op  Dollars,  and  toward  which  great  enterprise  parties 
interested  in  the  Alabama  and  Chattanooga  Railroad  have 
subscribed  two  millions,  will  prove  of  very  great  advantage  to 
the  Company.  They  have  secured  a  liberal  charter  through  the 
State  of  Tennessee,  and  are  in  a  fair  way  to  obtain  the  same 
rights  in  Kentucky. 

This  will  secure  through  connections  with  all  points  North. 

It  will  be  seen  by  this  explanation  relative  to  these  connect¬ 
ing  lines,  that  the  road,  aside  from  being  an  essential  part  of 
the  great  Southern  line  to  the  Pacific,  can  be  fully  sustained  and 
will  be  one  of  the  best  paying  roads  in  America. 

RESOURCES  OF  THE  COMPANY. 

The  resources  of  the  Company  are  ample  to  complete  the 
line  from  Chattanooga  to  Meridian  ;  and  they  have  every  pros¬ 
pect  of  sufficient  means  to  complete  the  work  to  New  Orleans. 

DISTANCES  FROM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  THE  PACIFIC. 

The  distance  from  Chattanooga  to  San  Diego ,  on  the  Pacific, 
via  Meridian,  Vicksburg  and  Marshall,  Texas,  and  the  thirty- 
second  parallel,  is  about  two  thousand  miles,  and  from  Chatta¬ 
nooga  to  New  York,  eight  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  Total,  New 
York  to  the  Pacific,  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  Prom  New  York  to  San  Francisco,  by  the  Union  and 
Central  Pacific  lines,  via  Buffalo  and  Chicago,  is  three  thousand 
three  hundred  and  sixty-three  miles.  Difference  in  favor  of 
the  Chattanooga,  Vicksburg,  and  Marshall  route,  to  San  Diego, 
more  than  five  hundred  miles.  This  route  is  unquestionably  the 
shortest  and  cheapest  that  can  be  built  to  the  Pacific,  as  will  be 
seen  by  reference  to  a  comparative  statement  of  various  routes 


9 


from  report  of  Captain  Humphreys,  April  9,  1869,  on  page  3, 
with  light  grades,  easy  curves,  mild  and  healthful  climate,  and 
must  eventually  become  the  great  and  favorite  passenger  and 
mail  route  across  the  Continent.  In  Mr.  Stewart’s  report  to 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  February  19,  1869,  he  says: 

THE  SOUTH  IS  ENTITLED  TO  A  LINE. 

The  Southern  States  are  in  the  Union.  They  have  the  same 
rights  that  the  Middle  States  have,  or  the  Northern  States. 
They  have  the  right  of  access  to  the  Pacific  on  their  parallel 
of  latitude.  They  have  a  right  to  their  share  of  the  trans¬ 
continental  commerce  between  Asia  and  Europe,  —  Norfolk , 
Charleston,  Savannah ,  Mobile  and  New  Orleans  can  justly  com¬ 
plain  of  a  Middle  State  monopoly  which  pours  all  this  inter¬ 
continental  traffic  into  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  The  States 
lately  in  rebellion  are  ruined  and  impoverished.  Their  peculiar 
products  of  cotton,  sugar,  rice  and  tobacco  are  of  the  utmost 
value  to  the  nation.  It  is  sound  public  policy  to  aid  the  res¬ 
toration  of  the  annual  production  of  this  wealth,  which  is  con¬ 
fined  by  the  laws  of  climate  to  the  South.  To  the  extent  that 
a  Southern  Pacific  railroad  will  stimulate  the  growth  of  the 
peculiar  Southern  agricultural  products,  the  Northern  and  Mid¬ 
dle  States  have  each  a  large  and  direct  interest  in  having  it 
constructed,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  foreign  commerce  of  the 
United  States  demands  that  it  shall  be  constructed. 

WHY  GOYEENMENT  SHOULD  AID  THIS  EOAD. 

It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  map  accompanying  this 
Report  that  the  line  of  this  road  traverses  a  tract  of  country 
unsurpassed  in  the  fertility  of  its  soil  and  salubrity  of  its 
climate,  to  wit:  the  northern  part  of  Texas,  and  runs  directly 
through  the  great  mining  districts  of  Arizona  and  California, 
the  development  of  which  should  of  itself  be  an  inducement,  if 
there  were  no  other,  for  the  Government  to  aid  this  road. 


10 


Apart  from  these  considerations,  the  Government,  through  the 
instrumentality  of  this  road,  will  be  enabled  to  throw  open  to 
the  world  the  large  tracts  of  public  lands  now  lying  dormant 
and  unimproved  along  the  line  of  the  road,  or  in  contiguity  with 
it,  in  the  States  as  well  as  in  the  territories,,  thus  bringing  them 
into  notice  and  greatly  enhancing  their  value,  thereby  making 
them  a  source  of  revenue  to  the  Government. 

HOW  THE  AID  CAN  BE  GIVEN. 

The  Government,  in  aiding  this  enterprise,  will  be  placed  upon 
an  equal  footing,  so  far  as  security  is  concerned,  with  individ¬ 
uals,  which  is  altogether  different  from  the  mode  of  aiding  pre¬ 
vious  enterprises  of  a  similar  character,  as  will  fully  appear  in 
the  bill  which  the  company  propose  hereafter  to  submit  to  Con¬ 
gress,  specifying,  for  their  approval,  what  aid  they  desire  and  in 
what  manner  it  may  be  given. 

THE  CONSTRUCTION  OF  THIS  ROAD  A  GENERAL  GOOD. 

While  the  completion  of  the  Southern  Trans-Continental 
Route  will  inure  very  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  Southern 
States,  it  will  also  be  for  the  good  of  the  whole  Union.  The 
Western,  Middle  and  Eastern  States  are  now  rich  and  prosper¬ 
ous,  and  they  can  afford  to  be  and  undoubtedly  will  be  liberal 
and  magnanimous  toward  their  weaker  sisters,  and  on  their 
vote,  and  by  their  action,  depends  the  early  success  of  this  great 
enterprise. 

By  order  of  the  Directors  of  the  Alabama  and  Chattanooga 
Railroad, 

D.  N.  STANTON, 

President . 


